What are my options for taking a leave from MIT?

Can I secure a leave of absence for a personal or family emergency?

Can an international graduate student take a leave of absence?

How do I apply for nonresident status?

What are my options for taking a leave from MIT?

The only options for graduate students to take a leave away from campus are: medical leave; nonresident doctoral thesis status; and thesis research in absentia.

An approved medical leave can be granted for mental and physical conditions that prevent or hinder the student from completing or otherwise making satisfactory progress towards academic goals.

Thesis research in absentia and nonresident doctoral thesis research status both require the student to have passed the qualifying examination and to have already written a thesis proposal. Nonresident students are self-supporting and pay 15 percent of current tuition. Students on thesis research in absentia status can be supported by their department or professor; they will, however, pay full tuition.

Can I secure a leave of absence for a personal or family emergency?

Generally speaking, there are no formal provisions for leaves of absence for graduate students for these reasons. Rather, faculty prefer to make informal arrangements with students on a case-by-case basis, so it is critical that you initiate the conversation. You are advised to seek advice from the graduate administrator, or your departmental graduate officer, to discuss what the practices have been in your department and how best to raise the issue with your advisor. The only formal leave available to graduate students is medical leave of absence, which is intended for personal medical problems or emergencies only, not those related to family members or others.

Can an international graduate student take a leave of absence?

Contact the ODGE and your department for the procedures required to apply for a leave of absence. Note that there are some serious immigration implications for the international student who wishes to take a leave of absence. Contact the International Students Office for further information.

How do I apply for nonresident status?

Nonresident status is only available to doctoral students. It requires the student to have passed the qualifying examination, and he or she must have already written a thesis proposal. Subsequent to the proposal, thesis research is ordinarily carried out while the student is in residence at the Institute. However, on some occasions, it may be essential or desirable that the student be absent from the campus during a portion of thesis research or writing. Students who are permitted to undertake nonresident thesis research must register as nonresident doctoral candidates and pay tuition equal to approximately 15 percent of the regular full tuition.

Permission to become a nonresident doctoral candidate must be sought from the Dean for Graduate Education at least one month prior to the opening of the term during which the student wishes to register in this category (a $100 fee will be assessed for late requests). Prior to submission, the request must be approved by the student's thesis supervisor and by the departmental graduate officer from the student's department of registration. Justification for the nonresident status must be set forth in the proposal.